A Promise Made
by Rukama
Summary: ...is a promise to be kept. Brendan/May. Oneshot.


**Under the silver stars  
Anywhere you are  
Near or far, you are close to me  
When you don't understand  
And when you think nobody can  
I'll be the friend and the hope you need**

"Man, I'm beat!" May exclaimed to herself, stretching her arms as she laid her backpack on the nearest table she saw in the Pokemon Center over at Lilycove City. She made sure all her items were arranged the way she wanted it to be and her Pokemon all rested and at ease after a long day of harsh training. She left the Center for a bit of fresh air as she looked down at her Pokenav, unsure if she wanted to call Brendan.

Her rival whenever he'd surprise her for a battle

Her friend who supported her from the beginning,

Her neighbor who's house stood quietly beside hers…

Was that all there was to it?

She made many friends during her journey all around Hoenn. It felt wonderful helping Wally get back on his feet, trying his best in being a normal trainer to Ralts. Mr. Stone, President of Devon Corporation over at Rustboro City. Thanks to him, she was able to contact anyone in Hoenn easily.

There was also her dad. Well, he was already a person close to her heart, but because of him, she drove herself harder to aim as the greatest trainer of Hoenn. Finally, there was also that extremely competitive but inspiring Drew over at Lilycove City. Boy, did she work hard to kick his ass in varied contests! She did find the roses a bit flattering, regardless with whatever insulting meaning he gave to it.

But she could never, ever forget Brendan. She didn't know why. Every time she found time to reflect, she always wondered how he was doing with his fieldwork. What kind of Pokemon did he have besides that cute Mudkip she grew to love? How many badges did he have? How long has it been since they last met? She sighed and closed her Pokenav.

Did he still even …remember her?

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

Brendan stared at his Swampert who in turn, stared at him back. It was almost as if his Pokemon can read his mind when he gave them looks like these. He never stopped thinking of May. Swampert knew what that when he nudged him to take the Pokenav from his mouth. Brendan sighed but placed an adoring smile on his face and patted his lovable Pokemon on the head.

"No way, Swampert," he grinned, taking the Pokenav from him. "I don't wanna call May so late at night. Who knows? She's probably sleeping." he finished off by feeding him another Pokeblock. He closed his eyes. When did he get so interested in contests? When May did, of course. He shook his head. It was when Drew did. It's all because of that annoying Drew that he wasted all his berries to make these blocks in an attempt to impress May. He knew she enjoyed these sorts of things.

Then eventually, he heard he kept giving her flowers after each contest! Roses at that! What was he trying to prove? He can have any other girl in all of Hoenn for all he cared, but he wouldn't allow it to be May. She was HIS rival, not Drew's! He saw him as some weak, gay pretty boy who's only good in contests. Did May really like that kind of guy? He shook his head. No way. He wouldn't allow it.

He looked back at his Swampert who was patiently waiting for him to decide if they just stayed in Mossdeep City or sail straight to Sootopolis. Brendan shook his head, and told them that they'll stay here for the night. _"I wonder how May's doing…"_ he sighed, wishing with every fiber of his being that he was there with her. Hopefully, nothing bad happened to her. She was a girl, after all…armed with nothing but her Pokemon to protect her. Drew would be there, obviously. He snickered with disgust, completely unaware of how jealous he was of him.

He looked at the sleeping Swampert, stroking his head lightly and asked him softly, "Do you think I should also call Drew and tell him to stay away from May?" He laughed quietly, amazed at how the last phrase rhymed with her name.

He closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

He really did miss her.

**Let me be the one  
Leading you through the night  
Sharing the smiles  
And tears you cry  
Let me be the one  
Loving you when you're weak  
For all of the strength you need  
You can come to me**

May couldn't wait to see him. _"Only one more badge!" _she grinned, as she won the mind badge from Tate and Liza_. _She and Brendan both promised each other to meet at Ever Grande City. The place where to challenge the Elite Four! She felt a surge of excitement and relief that she trained her Pokemon well enough to gain almost all the badges of Hoenn.

"Thank you so much, Blaziken! I couldn't have done it without you!" she laughed, hugging merely a part of his leg, but he didn't seem to mind. May couldn't be any happier. "C'mon! We gotta get going! Sootopolis awaits!" Then she rode onto her Ludicolo, and sailed off towards the gym which separated her from defeating the Elite Four.

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=**

"Woah, did I seriously win this?" Brendan gaped at the raindrop-shaped badge he held on his hand. He couldn't believe he defeated Juan! The last gym leader! He never felt any prouder than he did now. _"Ever Grande City, here we come!" _He was finally going to see May! He can't wait to feel that overwhelming thrill of finally seeing her after several months!

"You deserved it, Brendan. And I hope your lady friend is waiting for you over at Ever Grande City." Juan smiled, bowing graciously in defeat.

Brendan blushed slightly but nodded in reply. "Thank you, sir," then he returned his smile and slid back down to the entrance. _"Why does he have to be so hard to reach…!" _he shivered, remembering how many times he had fallen from the thin ice that held him from other trainers below. He shrugged that off from his mind. It didn't matter anymore. He finally had 8 badges!

_I wonder where she is now…? _

**When you're down and you feel so lonely  
Turn around; you can come to me  
When you're down, you know I will be the only  
Come to me  
**

"I just know he's waiting there, Blaziken." May said in an anticipated tone after they reached shore. "Alright. Here we are. Sootopolis City." She whispered, drying off her bandana with her hands.

As she was checking the contents of her backpack, she realized that she ran out of Hyper Potions. "Oh shoot, no more potions." she sighed. "Let's head over to the PokeMart first." she planned out, looking at Blaziken with a decrease of excitement in her tone. _"That's alright. I'm almost minutes to getting that Rain Badge!" _she giggled at that thought, knowing full well that she had the right Pokemon to defeat Juan. She ran to the PokeMart, only mere seconds before Brendan left the Gym.

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

"Alright! I finally have it!" Brendan grinned, trying his best not to sound like a giggling school girl. _"I bet Drew couldn't do this!" _He patted Swampert on the head. "I seriously don't know how we did it Swampert, but you're the best!" he laughed, climbing on him as they sailed towards the deep end of the city.

"I'll see you soon, May!" He shouted to the skies, feeling light-headed and obviously not caring who heard. Then he gave Swampert the signal with a smile on his face they both dove down deep into the blue waters _seconds _before May left the PokeMart.

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

"I can't believe how much those potions cost!" May groaned, feeling her wallet lighten. Then she felt Blaziken nudge at her to look towards the deep waters that lay at the tip of the city. "Hmm? Something wrong, Blaziken?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

She couldn't understand what he was trying to say. Blaziken pointed at his white fur on his head, and May suddenly got the message. "Oh! Well, we have to get the Rain Badge first before we could see Brendan, you silly!" she laughed, as she walking towards Ludicolo to sail to the Gym.

Blaziken face-palmed with defeat. She still didn't get it.

__**  
I will be by your side  
When you wanna break down and cry  
I'll make you promises you can believe  
For the kind of love you can trust  
For escape from hopelessness, yeah  
Don't you know that you can come to me**

"Ah…you must be May Maple, am I right?" Juan asked politely, bowing to her as a form of greeting. He was surprised at how easily she got through the thin ice floors, unlike his recently previous opponent.

May stared at him. "How did you know?" she asked suspiciously, eyeing him annoyingly.

He sighed and ignored her question. "Do you happen to know someone by the name of…Brendan Birch?" he asked, fondling with a piece of his hair.

May was taken aback. How did he know him too? "Y-yeah! B-but how do you—!"

"He was here a while ago to challenge me."

"B-Brendan?" she gasped. "Did he…win?"

Juan nodded.

May felt so proud that he was finally on his way to Ever Grande City, "I'm so glad…" she whispered in relief.

"We should get this battle over with, so that you could meet him over at Ever Grande." Juan smiled, reaching for his Pokeballs.

May was brought back to reality. "He must have told you that, too?" she asked, a surge of happiness flowing within her. _"He's never forgotten…" _she blushed, getting ready for battle.

"You must hurry though. He thinks that you're already there waiting."

"What? Seriously? L-Let's finish this, then!"

"…show me what you got, Miss May Maple."

"You won't regret it!"

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

It's almost night time, and Brendan finally got past Victory Road. "I'm…finally…here." he whispered between pants. It was in this place where you have to go all-out to the other trainers who were just like him. _"Get a hold of yourself. Remember, this is for May…" _he encouraged himself, running towards the end of the cave. It was a hard and tiring journey, but he knew May must have experienced this too. He couldn't let her down.

"Let's go, Swampert!" he ran towards the light that led the exit and the entrance to the Elite Four.

**Let me be the one  
Leading you through the night  
Sharing the smiles  
And tears you cry  
Let me be the one  
Loving you when you're weak  
For all of the strength you need  
You can come to me  
**

"Yess! I did it!" May squealed in delight, as she received the Rain Badge from Juan. Thanks to Blaziken's fighting-type moves, and Manectric's thunderbolts, she quickly beat him.

Juan didn't wait to congratulate her. "No time to waste, Miss May. Brendan's probably waiting." He urged her, wanting to help them both. It wasn't everyday that something like this happened in his life.

"O-of course! I'd never forget that!" May quickly thanked him and headed straight to Ever Grande. She couldn't help but wonder if Juan purposely lost to her just so she could get to there faster. She shook her head. Now's not the time for that.

"C'mon, Ludicolo! Let's head to Ever Grande!"

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o **

His heart flew as he saw the building…but instantly sank when he didn't see May. "W-where is she?" he asked with a hurt tone in his voice. Then he felt Swampert push him inside. "O-oh! She must be inside then!" he guessed after his Pokemon's action, and entered through the doors of Ever Grande.

He hastily searched the building as soon as he entered, but he still couldn't find her. He looked everywhere inside the building and asked the trainers there after he gave a detailed description of May. After failed attempts, he closed his eyes, deeply upset of May and himself. _"Are all girls like this…? Do they just make big and stupid promises and never keep them?" _

He led out a low growl, holding his head before he went crazy. _"What if…May just stayed over at Lilycove with Drew?" _He remembered that was where they had their last battle. Since that was the place which had the largest department store, all the Pokemon Contests, and her other "rival", Drew, what other reason did she have to leave for if she had forgotten her promise?

Even if that were true, he'd still love her. He couldn't change that fact. Brendan couldn't imagine spending his life with someone else. Hopefully, May could think the same. He felt his eyes grow heavy. _"Now's not the time to think like this, Brendan. Looks like you'll have to handle this…by yourself," _he reminded himself, slowly drifting off to sleep out of exhaustion and depression.

**And I believe beyond  
The setting of the sun  
At the end of the day  
My love stays for you  
My love stays**

"F-Finally…Ever Grande City," May whispered in breaths, trying to use all of her strength to get past. She couldn't see clearly, but she knew she had to face only one more trainer. …The last trainer that stood between her and Brendan. As she got closer, her eyes widened at what she saw. This wasn't any ordinary trainer! This was…

"W-Wally! W-what are you doing here!" May gasped in surprise as she was almost at the end of Victory Road. The trainers she encountered were nothing like she ever battled before. _"Almost as strong as Gym Leaders…" _she heard herself say during difficult battles.

"May…oh, I'm so glad to see you!" he grinned, his face glowing of health. He ran to her, hugging her tightly out of sincere appreciation. "If it weren't for you, I'd never even _be _here!" he laughed, releasing her from his embrace. "Thank you so much, May." His voice toned down, the velvety, rich kind May had never heard before. Has he really changed that much?

If he was trying to prove something, she didn't know. All she was thinking was to get to Brendan as soon as possible. Her tired pants refrained her from speaking anything, but Wally seemed to know as he assessed her clothes, her almost-emptied backpack, and her tired Pokemon.

"H-hey May…you looked extremely tired after going head-on against Victory Road all in just hours." he suggested, a heartfelt expression reached his face as he tried to help her stand straight. "…why don't I take you over to Verdanturf, so that you could freshen up for the Elite Four?" he grinned, obviously offering her a trip on his Altaria. "My family would love to take care of you for now! The air is extremely fresh and-!"

May felt awfully irritated at her friend's ramblings but she didn't want to show it. Wally was her friend after all. "Wally, thanks for your concern but I really need to get to Ever Grande," she replied, trying to look as apologetic as possible.

Wally stared at her, confused. "W-what's the rush, May? Ever Grande isn't running away," he attempted to joke, trying to lead her back to the entrance. May was wondering why he was taking all the trouble to walk her back, when the exit was already right in front of them. "N-no. W-Wally, please. Thank you, but I really need to go—!" she struggled away from his grasp, unaware of how red her face grew.

He released his grip on her. He knew he couldn't stop her. Wally sighed. Even if the heavens gave him a 3-hour start,"_Brendan was right…" _he thought sadly to himself, obviously knowing the reason behind May's strange behavior. He also did meet Brendan at the end of Victory Road. He told him that he was doing it for May and that they were finally going to see each other and all. Deeply aggravated at his intentions, Wally decided to challenge him to a Pokemon duel. The least he can do now is evaluate his skills, wondering if Brendan really was doing all this for her. Wally knew he himself did.

"O-oh…I see," he whispered, moving his eyes away from her. He knew fully well why. "I-It's Brendan, isn't it?" he looked up to her, forcing his eyes to glow with happiness. He didn't want it like this but he had no choice. He knew he was too late. He finally felt ashamed for trying to take her away from her dreams…and her promise to Brendan. Wally shook his head. It would be wrong to delay her for a challenge…

May gazed at him, her cheeks flushing in a slight color of pink. She needed to tell him. Just from that, he knew he was right. "Yeah…" she gave him a friendly smile and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry Wally…I will love you forever, but only as a friend…" she whispered to him brokenly. "I cannot tell you how much you meant to me these past years." Tears fell from her long lashes as she continued. "Thank you, Wally—for being all the things you are…" she released herself from the embrace and fled out to Ever Grande.

"_Brendan! Brendan! I'm finally here!" A familiar female voice called out to him. The same voice he had wanted to hear for so long._

"_M-May?"  
_

"_Oh, Brendan…I missed you so much…" she ran towards him, wasting no time to wrap her arms around him. _

"_I…I missed you too…a lot." he replied, too shocked to say anything. He returned her embrace. She felt so warm…_

"_Was I…too late?" she mumbled, deeply ashamed of her horrible timing._

"_No…at least, that's what I want to say…." he joked, breaking the embrace. Good thing he still waited for her._

"_I'm so sorry…I was…a badge late," she grinned, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment._

_"Don't worry, we finally made it." he smiled, leaning down close to her face._

_"Yeah…we can finally do this…together." She moved her face near his, and sealed the promise with a kiss._

Brendan's eyes opened slowly; disappointed that he never got to see the continuation of the dream he had desperately wanted right now. "It's been 4 hours…" he murmured, rubbing his eyes. _ "I know she's never coming here!" _He closed his eyes tightly, avoiding his tears to fall. _"But why am I…still waiting?" _ He shifted his position and felt something soft on his head. _"A pillow…? No wait…Is this—!" _His eyes narrowed. Brendan got up quickly into a sitting position, and stared at the girl he saw in his dreams.

It was May…

"H-hello…Brendan."

It wasn't like the greeting he saw in his dream….but maybe; he could bring them both to the same ending. Where they kiss for the first time, finally sealing the promise they had faithfully kept all these years.

=FIN=

* * *

A/N: Rawr, so many mistakes! D8 ...sorta. I don't think it was a good idea to bring Drew into this since Wally did most of the work...=))

I hope you sorta liked it. . ;; I love Brendan/May! 8D


End file.
